Fear the Walking Dead Season 1 Episode 2 Review: So Close, Yet So Far

OK. So we may have an advantage over the characters of Fear The Walking Dead because we already know what happens to people when they die, or that a head shot is the kill shot, or that you don’t walk up to a growling, speechless principal when he doesn’t respond to his name.

It can still be a bit frustrating when Madison hurriedly ushers her daughter away from Matt, who does have a fever and was bitten, but then decides its time to chat with Artie when clearly something looks wrong.

But they are learning and will presumably continue to adapt as Los Angeles falls. And soon they will be on the same page as viewers when it comes to understanding just what is going on.

I know there’s probably going to be a slow burn with the series, and I like that it seems to be trying to do something a bit different than The Walking Dead. I’m certainly interested to see what’s next, but this episode almost felt like a less exciting add-on to the pilot.

I’d like to see what the Salazar family will bring to the show, but they really didn’t do much except let Travis and his family hunker down for the night. They certainly seem to be caring and considerate, letting them in rather than forcing them away, but there wasn’t really enough time to dig deeper with their characters.

The prospect of seeing Travis’ two families interact is also intriguing, but I was not a fan of Chris. I know he was supposed to be a rebellious teenager mad at his dad, but he was just so whiny. He definitely seems like he’ll be the one who wanders off and then accidentally brings back a bunch of walkers to take someone out.

However, I am wondering just how the heck Travis, Chris, Liza, and the Salazar family plan on making it out of the city. It doesn’t seem safe out there, and that’s not even including the walkers.

We did get a few zombie moments that included the police just shooting people who didn’t stop walking. But perhaps they have a better grasp on who is a walker and who isn’t? That one cop Travis saw with all the water seemed like he knew more than many of the people around him, right?

But the zombie moment that was supposed to be scary, which wound up being obvious and not scary, involved Artie. It just felt predictable that he would wind up a walker since the pilot. Though I thought Tobias’ return meant he was only there to be zombie food.

Instead, Tobias survived and was able to ramble on in his usual ominous way like he knows everything because he’s been to the future. I hope that’s the last time we see him. I don’t need him to reappear four seasons later as some ninja warrior and be like, “See, I told you this doesn’t end.”

I think that Nick and Alicia have the chance to really standout as characters on this show, and I’m curious to see how each one handles the new world they are about to live in. They were kind of stuck in the house for most of the episode, but Alicia did help her brother rather than run off, and Nick seems to be trying to break his drug habit.

I didn’t have quite the same enthusiasm here as I did watching the pilot, and I felt rather underwhelmed at times. But I know it’s early, and things are just starting to ramp up for the series and the characters, so I’m still eager for what comes next.

Are you enjoying Fear the Walking Dead? Will Travis and his family make it out of L.A. alive? Sound off below, and watch Fear the Walking Dead online to whet your summer zombie appetite.